American Dream

Tereza Simonyan loves L.A., classic rock and, of course, tennis.

She also loves her native Armenia, where she plans to return this summer for a much-anticipated and, perhaps, defining visit after 18 months in Southern California.

Therein lies the dilemma for Simonyan, an 18-year-old sophomore who in two seasons has established herself among the best women’s tennis players at Cal State Northridge.

Agile, court savvy and impressively muscular, Simonyan will take a 24-9 singles record into the NCAA regionals Saturday when the Matadors (22-8) play at Fresno State (20-4).

She also will take a long look at her future during her first visit home since enrolling at Northridge. Admittedly homesick, Simonyan is gearing up to experience a gamut of emotions.

Will she be back?

“This trip home will decide a lot,” Simonyan said. “I’m going to miss a lot of things about America. But now I miss a lot of things about Armenia. So, I’m in the middle. It’ll be hard.”

Somehow, the sense that Simonyan will return comes through in the conversation. One of two daughters of an architect and engineer in her hometown Yerevan, she increasingly has come to consider California her home and has quickly adapted to its lifestyle.

She regularly visits City Walk, punctuates sentences with Valley-girl vernacular and beams when recounting a chance meeting with Cindy Crawford.

“Oh, my God,” she said. “I told my parents and they were like, ‘No way. You’re joking.’ ”

And, of course, Armenia can’t compete with California when it comes to entertainment.

A classic rock buff, Simonyan is as comfortable discussing Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and Queen as she is service aces and volleys, although she has yet to attend a concert.

“I went to see Sting, but he was sold out,” she said. “You can’t imagine what Hollywood is in Armenia. It’s like a dream. You see the Hollywood sign and then all of a sudden you think, ‘I’m going to live there.’ ”

All of which will be difficult for Simonyan to leave. Northridge Coach Gary Victor doesn’t expect she will.

“She is very well-rounded, very much a renaissance person,” Victor said. “She likes to do so many things and this country offers so much in the way of culture that Armenia may or may not have for her.”

That includes intercollegiate athletics, something as foreign to Simonyan as Southern California when she first came to the United States at 16.

Simonyan began competing at 10 and traveled to Burbank to compete in the junior development program of the Burbank Tennis Center.

Overseeing Simonyan in junior tournaments, Eric Mann, head tennis pro at Burbank, approached Victor about offering Simonyan a scholarship.

Aside from her ability, Simonyan’s maturity and intelligence on the court was most impressive, Mann said.

A former swimmer, Simonyan capitalizes on her leg strength to reach volleys other players cannot.

“Usually, a lot of Southern California kids like to bash the ball,” Mann said. “She could bash the ball back at them and then she’d hit a drop shot. She not only had power but finesse.”

Simonyan, who lived with a family friend in Glendale during her initial stay, intended to return home.

Playing tennis in college became her American dream.

“I had no idea about college tennis,” Simonyan said. “I didn’t know there was college tennis at all. When [Victor] started talking about a scholarship, I started to understand how the system works.

“Where I come from, you don’t have that many opportunities.”

Simonyan has made the most of hers. She was 20-3 as a freshman, dividing time between the No. 1 and No. 2 ladder positions.

This season, Simonyan switched from No. 1 to No. 2 late in the season, yielding to freshman Marina Baydak from Reseda High.

She was selected Big Sky Conference player of the week in March after a three-set victory over Leslie Harvey of Nebraska. Simonyan and teammate Gabriella Reiner were first-team all-conference selections.

Victor moved Simonyan to No. 2, he said, to strengthen the team. Simonyan accepted the decision.

“She’s a very appreciative person,” Victor said. “She realizes she’s getting paid to play a game, which takes care of her education.”

A computer science major, Simonyan said she wants to complete her education.

At Northridge?

“I haven’t seen a lot of my family in the year-and-a-half I’ve been here,” Simonyan said. “It makes it better for me that I like it here. But I try to block it out. Now that I have only a month to go, it’s hitting me how much I miss my friends and family.”